Morning Headlines

Wyatt eyes sale of property data

The cash-strapped State Government could soon privatise WA’s sensitive land information services in a multibillion-dollar “big data” bonanza after a high-level scoping study to be announced in today’s midyear Budget update. The West

Built wins $70m city project

National construction company Built will build the $70 million, 30-level Atira Student Living on the former Wellington Surplus Stores site in the city. The West

Lithium players on a roll

WA’s lithium players extended their recent run yesterday on the back of a slew of positive news around the commodity. The West

National vetting to halt sport doping

Australia’s peak sporting body has moved to fireproof clubs and organisations from a recurrence of the Essendon and Cronulla drug scandals by adopting a national accreditation system for sports scientists and conditioning coaches. The Aus

China’s restrictions on steel output drive iron ore surge

The price of the nation’s biggest export, iron ore, remains comfortably above budget forecasts, with China’s restrictions on steel production continuing to drive demand for Australia’s top-quality ore. The Aus

RBA ends year on upbeat note

The problem of low wages growth has lessened and is now expected to strengthen in 2018 as the labour market tightens, according to an upbeat assessment of the economy by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The Fin

More tax also means more super savings

Wages growth is close to non-existent, but workers may find some comfort that strong investment returns are boosting their retirement savings, as well as government coffers. The Fin

Australia’s emissions rise 5pc in two years

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased 5 per cent in the past two years, leaving a huge task for the proposed National Energy Guarantee to meet Paris climate commitments. The Fin

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The Turnbull government’s recently restored parliamentary majority is again under threat with aggrieved Nationals MP Keith Pitt considering joining the crossbench following a ministerial reshuffle in which he and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester were dumped by Barnaby Joyce.

Page 3: Australia’s official statistician is upgrading how it measures the consumer price index – arguably the nation’s most important statistic – to more rapidly account for changes in people’s spending habits and the arrival of new categories of products like streaming services such as Netflix.

Page 5: The problem of low wages growth has lessened and is now expected to strengthen in 2018 as the labour market tightens, according to an upbeat assessment of the economy by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Page 9: Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased 5 per cent in the past two years, leaving a huge task for the proposed National Energy Guarantee to meet Paris climate commitments.

Page 13: A late rush of deals has fuelled a nine year high for the local sharemarket, setting equities up for their best quarterly return since March 2015.

Page 15: Caltex Australia has forecast about 16 per cent growth in full-year core profit, but the guidance has fallen short of market expectations and left analysts concerned about the strength of non-fuel retailing and a dip in premium petrol sales.

Mitsui Australia chairman Yukio Takebe says there is ‘‘not yet’’ enough competition in Australia’s eastern gas market, but he blames politicians and not his joint venture partners in Bass Strait.

AustralianSuper says it is important for funds to sign up to the life insurance code of practice, but it is yet to commit to signing this itself.

The Australian

Page 1: Malcolm Turnbull has promoted conservatives and regional MPs to the frontbench in a sweeping ministerial reshuffle that has sparked a fresh round of infighting within the Nationals, as the Prime Minister moves to reset the government’s priorities on national security and jobs.

Page 3: Australia’s peak sporting body has moved to fireproof clubs and organisations from a recurrence of the Essendon and Cronulla drug scandals by adopting a national accreditation system for sports scientists and conditioning coaches.

Page 13: BHP has threatened to leave the Minerals Council of Australia if the influential lobby group continues to promote coal-fired power as a solution to the nation’s energy crisis and stop focusing on power reliability and affordability at the expense of emissions reduction.

Page 14: The upgrade of AWE’s Waitsia gas field reserves by 80 per cent yesterday is expected to prompt Mineral Reserves to sweeten its offer for the company in the next few days.

Page 15: Foxtel’s owners, News Corp and Telstra, are at loggerheads over carriage fees for Sky News Australia in a dispute that could threaten the cable television network’s planned merger with Fox Sports.

Shares in embattled Retail Food Group crashed yesterday after it issued a profit warning following attacks on the viability and ethics of its franchise model, while its earnings have also suffered from the malaise now awash in the retail sector.

The price of the nation’s biggest export, iron ore, remains comfortably above budget forecasts, with China’s restrictions on steel production continuing to drive demand for Australia’s top-quality ore.

The West Australian

Page 4: The cash-strapped State Government could soon privatise WA’s sensitive land information services in a multibillion-dollar “big data” bonanza after a high level scoping study to be announced in today’s midyear Budget update.

The WA Government has a spending rather than a revenue problem and must cut its own cloth to bring the finances back into order, according to the State’s business lobby.

Page 6: WA will have more influence in Canberra as it fights for a fairer share of the GST after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull used a major reshuffle to elevate Michael Keenan into Cabinet and give the State an unprecedented five Cabinet positions.

Page 11: Education Minister Sue Ellery has been accused of hypocrisy after an audio recording emerged of her attacking the previous government’s funding cuts to Schools of the Air.

Page 14: Lauren Palmer, the Maritime Union of Australia’s pick to run for the Federal seat of Hasluck at the next election, has narrowly won preselection after a bitter factional contest within the Labor Party.

Page 19: A WA idea that could help reduce the 30,000 deaths a year from roadside bombs and booby traps set by terrorists has won a $3 million grant from the Defence Department.

Business: WA’s lithium players extended their recent run yesterday on the back of a slew of positive news around the commodity.

National construction company Built will build the $70 million, 30-level Atira Student Living on the former Wellington Surplus Stores site in the city.